Husband of missing Mo. woman claims innocence

woman has denied thatt he had anything to do with her disappearance and complained that police are focusing too much on him rather than looking for his wife or pursuing any other possible suspects in the case.

Clay Waller said police and some residents in Cape Girardeau and Jackson have followed and harassed him since his wife, Jacque Waller, disappeared on June 1. Jacque Waller, 39, a mother of 5-year-old triplets, was last seen near her husband’s home in Jackson. The couple was in the midst of a divorce.

“It’s crazy. I got a helicopter following me every day, police are following me,” Waller said Tuesday in an interview with the Southeast Missourian. “I’ll tell you what is not happening is that the cops are not searching for my wife.”

Police have said Waller is a person of interest in his wife’s disappearance but no charges have been filed. Jackson Police Chief James Humphreys dismissed Waller’s claims and said he will remain a person of interest in the case unless evidence eliminates him.

Waller said he suspects his wife was abducted off Interstate 55, where her blue Honda Pilot was found abandoned hours after she was reported missing. Humphreys said investigators never believed Jacque Waller was abducted.

Waller said he can’t help search for his wife because police and the community are on a “witch hunt.”

“I have not done anything,” he said. “I miss my wife. I hope for a safe return.”

Waller said his truck has been vandalized several times and he was recently shot in the leg with a pellet gun. He said he didn’t know who shot him and wouldn’t disclose the location.

Jacque Waller’s family has said she was in Jackson filing divorce papers and to pick up the couple’s son from Waller’s home the day she disappeared.

Waller said Tuesday his wife was in Jackson to only to discuss bankruptcy filings. He also said that although the couple was separated, they were not seriously estranged.

Ruby Rawson, Jacque Waller’s mother, said late Tuesday the couple was estranged and that her daughter had already rented an apartment in Ste. Genevieve.

Waller also claimed authorities have threatened him and his family and alleged that police have hit him.

Humphreys called those allegations “ludicrous.” He said police would welcome any information Waller could provide on his wife’s disappearance.

Waller said he’s also upset that he has not been able to see his children.

“There is no evidence a crime has been committed,” Waller said. “If they can prove the allegations, then prove it.”

Waller had declined interviews before Tuesday. He said Tuesday he declined the interview requests because he didn’t know what he would say.

“What can I possibly say to change peoples’ minds?” he said.

Humphreys said authorities searched a lake in Cape Girardeau County on Tuesday. They continue to search routes off the interstate near where her vehicle was found as well as other bodies of water in the county.